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Above The Poles: Polar Atmosphere

Atmospheric Studies help us understand chemical and physical processes occurring above the Polar Regions. Meteorological studies help us understand how these processes interconnect with the rest of the planet, and polar observations are critical for our understanding of global weather patterns and climate. This page gives an overview of the Polar Atmosphere and Weather.

NSF image: polar stratospheric clouds

Polar Atmosphere

The study of the atmosphere above the poles is crucial to our understanding of the climate and weather systems. The transport of pollutants from industrial areas of the northern hemisphere pollute the Arctic leading to the so-called Arctic haze, affecting the health of wildlife and local people. Unique weather conditions isolate the Antarctic atmosphere from that of the rest of the globe and the low temperatures create the conditions necessary for the complete depletion of stratospheric ozone every spring. Other phenomena such as noctiluscent clouds and the aurora make the study of the polar atmosphere quite fascinating.

Scientists from around the world have been involved in projects during the IPY to help further understand the processes occurring in this unique environment. Below are some examples of atmospheric research occurring in IPY. You can also ask questions directly to atmospheric scientists Eric Wolff and Helen Atkinson in the Above The Poles Live Events on December 4th, 2008.

SLAP – Solar Linkages to Atmospheric Processes

Solar Linkages to Atmospheric Processes (SLAP) is an IPY project investigating the links between changes in solar output and weather and climate. To do this, Dr Gary Burns of the Australian Antarctic Division, and his colleagues, Drs Oleg Troshichev and Alexandr Frank-Kamenetsky of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, are measuring the ‘atmospheric electric circuit’ from high on the Antarctic plateau at Vostok, near the centre of East Antarctica.

The atmospheric electric circuit is the flow of electricity around the world, between the ground and the lower reaches of the ionosphere – about 80 km up. Thunderstorms and electrified clouds are the 'batteries' of the electric circuit, which drive the current from the ground to the ionosphere, while lightning is a visual representation of the current. The flow of current around the world is modulated by cosmic rays, which control atmospheric conductivity. (Cosmic rays are in turn modulated by the solar wind). The circuit is completed when the current trickles back to Earth, in regions remote from thunderstorm activity, such as Antarctica.

As well as at Vostok, instruments to measure the electric circuit have been deployed at three sites in West Antarctica, by Dr Martin Jarvis of the British Antarctic Survey, and another will be deployed at the French-Italian station, Concordia, at Dome C, in January 2009.

Meet Russian scientist, Evgeny Gruzinov, who is working on the SLAP project from his base at Vostok.

OASIS / COBRA: COBRA (impact of COmbined iodine and Bromine Release on the Arctic atmosphere) was a field campaign in Hudson Bay in Canada in 2008 that studied tropospheric ozone depletion, mercury deposition, oxidant and aerosol chemistry. This campaign was part of the international multidisciplinary Ocean - Atmosphere - Sea Ice - Snowpack (OASIS) program, IPY project 38.

To read what young polar researchers got up to out on the ice in Canada check out the blogs from Roisin Commane, an atmospheric chemistry PhD student at Leeds, and Rachel Obbard, a post-doctoral researcher at the British Antarctic Survey.

SPARC-IPY: The Structure and Evolution of the Polar Stratosphere and Mesosphere and Links to the Troposphere during IPY (IPY Activity No. 217) One of the more compelling issues of the 20th Century arose with the discovery that the Antarctic Ozone Hole is caused by emissions of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) resulting from human activities. Thanks to actions taken as the result of the Montreal Protocol, the ozone hole has stabilized and is expected to slowly recover during the 21st century. Stratospheric ozone has also been depleted in the Arctic, although to a much lesser extent.

Research has shown that changes in stratospheric ozone with time are tightly coupled to chemical and dynamical processes acting in the stratosphere in polar regions. Much of this understanding has been achieved within the SPARC project of the World Climate Research Programme. The main objective of the SPARC-IPY activity is to document the dynamics, chemistry and microphysical processes within the polar atmosphere during IPY, with a focus on the interaction of the stratospheric processes with those in regions below it (the troposphere) and above it (the mesosphere).

Polar Weather

Polar Meteorology This excellent booklet about Polar Meteorology, produced by the World Meteorological Organization, WMO, gives a very throrough introduction not only into Polar Weather, but also the role of the polar regions in the global climate system.